I Was Raped at East Mississippi Correctional Facility

My name is ______ and I am 23 years old and although my past criminal record isn't at its best, at heart I'm still a great kid!

After being locked up for about six months, I suffered from something many young males would hate to speak on and that's rape. I was raped at Eastern Mississippi Correctional Facility in Meridian, MS. I was beat brutally and faced several facial and rectum injuries from this attack. I was raped, robbed, and assaulted by several other prisoners.

I was held hostage due to the attack in a cell. I was threatened with knives and tormented by these inmates for several hours.

I was raped from 11:30pm @nite until 3:30am in the morning by one other prisoner. As he raped me continuously all I could do was cry because one false move and I knew this guy would take my life. After being a victim of rape by another male I am suffering still from anxiety, depression and stress issues because of this attack.

I fault the reason that I'm in prison today. If I had one wish I would wish that I never violated the law and shoplifting, which is what got me in prison. I've always wanted to live a normal life and hang out with friends and enjoy.

But due to this tragic incident that happened to me all I want to do is speak out to others that are suffering from what I went through and let them know it's okay to speak up and tell someone because no one should be violated of their sexual personal space.

I was hurt very badly and sometimes I feel like it's my fault but at the end of the day I know it wasn't.

Again my name is ______ and I too was a victim of rape.

This blog post was adapted from a handwritten letter the victim sent to the ACLU. Click here to read the complete letter.

Today, the ACLU, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the Law Offices of Elizabeth Alexander filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of prisoners at the East Mississippi Correctional Facility (EMCF), describing the for-profit prison as hyper-violent, grotesquely filthy and dangerous. Without sufficient staff to protect prisoners, rapes, beatings, and stabbings are rampant.